Controlling Yangtze River Floods: A New Approach

One of the most striking features of climate change in Asia is the change of the monsoon system, bringing new precipitation patterns to China. This has resulted in more flooding resulting from severe precipitation in southern China, and more droughts in the northern part of the country. Starting in the early 1980s, the Chinese government undertook research projects to better understand the risks of climate change and identify adaptation measures (Zhang and Wang 2007; Editorial Committee 2007). Severe flooding in 1998 convinced the government to take immediate action to adapt to climate change. This case study assesses institutions in China that have been established to manage flooding in the Yangtze River basin and their subsequent incorporation into the holistic National Climate Change Programme (GoC, 2007). Like most climate change adaptation actions in other parts of the world, China’s flood management measures are multi-objective and multi-benefit driven interventions.